Three-Body Episode 16 Recap
> Three-Body Recap
Shi Qiang and Xu Bingbing arrived at Shen Yufei's residence, still unable to determine the purpose of Wei Cheng's calculations. Xu Bingbing noted that the hired mathematicians were merely completing assigned tasks within deadlines, unaware of the project's overall objective. Shi Qiang speculated that Shen Yufei's significant efforts to support Wei Cheng were likely driven by her own agenda, not love.
Inside, Wei Cheng celebrated a breakthrough, declaring he had discovered "the variable, not the constant" in what he described as a probability problem. He explained that while this was only the first of potentially over a hundred steps, he was certain he was on the right path. Before passing out from drinking, he mentioned an "evolutionary algorithm."
Shen Yufei appeared, explaining that Wei Cheng's sole passion was mathematics and that she had hired a large team to support his work, expressing satisfaction with his progress. However, she refused to disclose the nature of his calculations. Shi Qiang observed the coldness between the couple, noting Shen Yufei prioritized a cushion over her collapsed husband, and described their home as more of a "studio" and their relationship as "employer-employee."
Xu Bingbing recounted Wei Cheng's history: a high school math prodigy who was admitted to Fudan University without an exam, he later drifted through his academic and professional life until meeting Shen Yufei. Their swift marriage was followed by her substantial financial support for his calculations. This reinforced Shi Qiang's belief that their union was a matter of utility for Shen Yufei, though Xu Bingbing suggested Shen Yufei might simply see him as a genius.
In the Three-Body game, Wang Miao learned that the first phase of computation was complete, predicting the suns' orbits for the next two years. Qin Shi Huang was told a long Stable Era would begin, but an imperial astrologer warned of a "Tri-solar Syzygy," where three suns align and orbit the planet in formation. This phenomenon, which Von Neumann admitted was not in their models, caused the planet's gravity to diminish.
As objects floated into the air and the ocean was pulled into space, Civilization No. 184, despite having developed classical mechanics and the Von Neumann computer, was destroyed. After exiting, Wang Miao was contacted by a game administrator who demanded his personal information for verification, threatening a permanent ban. Wang Miao complied and was invited to a player meet-up.
He later shared a new insight with Shi Qiang: the Three-Body Problem might be solved not with physics, but with a complex mathematical model. Shi Qiang revealed that Shen Yufei had been pursuing this very approach for months, employing hundreds of mathematicians, including Wei Cheng, to work on the problem. Pan Han visited journalist Mu Xing, claiming a recent lab explosion that killed four scientists was a cover-up for the murder of a bridge-playing group.
He argued that current technology is harmful and that a benevolent "Lord" could offer a better path. He then confronted Wei Cheng, demanding he stop his "meaningless" calculations. When Wei Cheng refused, Pan Han shot his computer mainframe to prove his gun was real. Shen Yufei intervened, asserting that Pan Han's violent reaction confirmed Wei Cheng's recent breakthrough was correct.
She accused Pan Han of obstructing the Lord's arrival, which she aimed to "save," while he retorted that the Lord needs no saving from "turkeys." He challenged her, questioning if she truly knew which side the Commander was on. Pan Han accused Shen Yufei's Redemptionist faction of distorting the Lord's will, while declaring his Adventist faction's goal was humanity's destruction as punishment for its crimes against the Earth.
Shen Yufei countered that he was misrepresenting the Lord's will and that she still hoped to save the world, quoting the Commander's sentiment that humanity cannot restrain its own madness. Later, contemplating Pan Han's question about whether she had "listened to the Lord's voice," she arranged to expand the Centaurus signal reception system. Shi Qiang's team discussed a global surge in violent attacks by former pacifists and environmentalists now chanting, "The Lord will come to punish vice."
Shi Qiang suspected the Frontiers of Science was acting as a recruitment agency for a larger organization. He pressed Wang Miao, outlining how Shen Yufei had orchestrated his experiences with the "universe flicker" and the game, but that all connections traced back to Ye Wenjie. His suspicion solidified when Xu Bingbing reported that Shen Yufei had just taken a train to Hai City.
Wang Miao connected this to Shen Yufei's red ginseng factory in nearby Qijiatun and recalled Ye Wenjie had given him red ginseng. Xu Bingbing confirmed the factory had minimal sales and that Ye Wenjie had also purchased a train ticket to Hai City. The ginseng was two years old, implying a long-standing connection between Ye Wenjie and Shen Yufei.
